10 Moments With Trent McDuffie in Montlake

Trent McDuffie, whose blockbuster trade from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday was the talk of the NFL, spent three years at the University of Washington, one fewer than his time now as a pro football player.

Yet he was around Montlake long enough to impress everyone with every step he took as a natural leader with obvious high-end skills.

He played in 28 games and started 26, and finished with 94 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 10 pass break-ups, 3 fumbles caused and 3 fumbles recovered. He had a career-best 9 tackles against USC as a freshman, maybe just to show the Trojans what they missed.

This Los Angeles-area kid turned that into a first-round draft pick, 22nd overall, and won a pair of Super Bowls with Kansas City. He's banked $14 million over four years with a second, much richer contract on the way as he returns to his hometown.

1. Our favorite McDuffie moment was his rapt description of his practice tackle that took the feet out from under showboating freshman running back Jay'Veon Sunday: "We want to show him what football is at Washington and the standard for what it's like to play in this stadium."

2. McDuffie in choosing the Huskies over USC, Oregon and Stanford, "It always just felt like home."

Breaking: The Chiefs and Rams are working on a blockbuster trade that would send All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles for a package that would include the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, sources told @AdamSchefter.

McDuffie would be expected to… pic.twitter.com/xeydxTCe8j
— ESPN (@espn) March 4, 2026

3. On his UW recruiting visit when he was shown around by the son of NFL legend Leroy Irvin, he said, "Julius Irvin was my host and that’s my guy. He loves it there and I can trust him to give it to me straight."

4. McDuffie after coming off the bench for his first two games as a freshman in 2019 against Eastern Washington and California and making his first college start against Hawaii. "I tell the coaches to put me at safety or at nickel, wherever I can help."

5. On what drove him to be better, "One of my favorite sayings was being that bricklayer. You don't take days off.

Trent McDuffie won a pair of Super Bowls at Kansas City. | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

6. On playing for UW's DBU, "You see a Budda Baker, Myles Bryant and Elijah Molden, and these guys are everywhere on every play. I really took that upon myself to put that on tape to show those young guys coming in."

7. While becoming a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a junior, "I feel like I've definitely stepped up as a leader, voicing myself, voicing my opinion. Being a freshman and a sophomore, I kind of took a backseat role."

8. On dealing with the Jimmy Lake firing in 2021 and finishing up without him, "It's all about the response and how you go from here."

9. On leaving school behind and focusing on the NFL, "This has been the greatest transition, just being all football. I get to focus all my time and energy on me."

10. McDuffie, on his draft prospects four years ago, "I have no idea what anyone is saying, where I'm at. I'm just enjoying the process, controlling what I can control, and enjoying life."